In an aseptic filling line in which the contents is sealed in an aseptic state, a container sterilization process, a container washing process, a filling process, a lid material sterilization process and washing process, and a sealing process are required and these processes are conducted in an aseptic chamber. As the conventional aseptic filling apparatus, a sterilization apparatus is known in which sealed containers are discharged outside a chamber via a sterilization process in which one conveyor is disposed in one aseptic chamber, containers are supplied in an upright state to the conveyor, and a sterilization liquid is sprayed onto the containers conveyed in the upright state, a process of drying with heated aseptic air, a contents filling process, and a process of sealing with a lid material (ref. Patent Document 1). However, in order to perform the operations of sterilizing to filling the container during conveying with one conveyor in one chamber, the containers have to be conveyed in the upright state from the very beginning. Therefore, in the process of washing with washing water, the washing water that remained inside the container cannot be removed. As a result, washing cannot be performed and it is necessary to rely on sterilization with a volatile sterilization agent such as hydrogen peroxide that can be removed by hot-air drying. However, in this case the sprayed amount of the sterilization agent has to be very small to enable the reliable removal of the sterilization agent within a short time, the sterilization efficiency is limited, a restriction is placed on the type of contents that can be employed, and in the case of beverages such as low-acidic that can be easily spoiled, the manufactured products have to be distributed in a chilled state. Yet another problem is that if the process from sterilization to sealing of a container is performed in one chamber, droplets and odor of the sterilization agent in the sterilization-drying zone of the sterilized container diffuse to the filling-sealing zone and adhere to the contents.
Aseptic filling apparatuses have been suggested in which, in order to resolve this problem, the chamber is divided in two, sterilization and washing are enabled in the initial chamber by conveying the containers in an inverted state, in the next chamber, the containers are filled with the contents and sealed, while being conveyed in an upright state, reliable sterilization and washing are enabled with a sufficient amount of sterilization agent and washing water in the sterilization and washing processes, and diffusion of droplets or odor of the sterilization agent to the contents filling process is prevented (ref. Patent Documents 2 and 3). In the apparatuses of Patent Documents 2 and 3, a container sterilization chamber is disposed in front of an aseptic chamber where filling of the contents and sealing of the container are performed, and the container discharge port of the container sterilization chamber is connected to the aseptic chamber via a vertical chute, whereby air-tight linking to the aseptic chamber is ensured and the inside of the container sterilization chamber is maintained under a positive pressure with the aseptic air in the same manner as the aseptic chamber. The sterilized container from which the sterilization liquid has been removed is turned over while being thereafter conveyed to the location immediately above the discharge port, assumes a posture with a mouth section facing upward, and is transferred to the aseptic chamber via the chute, while maintaining such a posture.    Patent Document 1:
Japanese Published Patent Application No. 55-110555    Patent Document 2:
Japanese Published Patent Application No. 60-99828    Patent Document 3:
Japanese published Patent Application No. 60-123328